Part I-Odaiba

Saturday, July 9th, 2005.
Odaiba. The result of a spate of development in and around the Tokyo Bay in recent
years; after its rediscovering the fact that it is indeed a waterfront city. Makes
quite a nice change from the hustle and bustle of central Tokyo. More than just a
scenic walk, though, it is considered a good chance to breathe sea air and escape
the humdrum of Shinjuku, Shibuya, and other congested areas in the heart of the city.
My trip to Odaiba started with a 1 1/2 hour car ride with 2 friends from Kodama, the
little town neighboring mine. The ride itself was quite interesting (once we hit the
county line of Tokyo, at least), as it crossed the Rainbow bridge and afforded us
good views of the bay area developments. Upon arriving at Odaiba, we headed to the
futuristic Fuji Television Japan Broadcast center, with a studio and an observation
platform. Having gotten a fair idea of how the center runs, we walked out to stroll
leisurely to Shiokaze park by the sea. Afterwards, we took a brisk walk to the Decks
Tokyo Beach and Aqua City complex for a quick bite-we took our sweet time picking a venue, as the choices were many, and they were all tempting. Which should we
prioritize? Cuisine or view? Finally, we settled for exorbitantly priced crepes at a
make-shift bistro that overlooked the bay and Rainbow bridge. We caught the profile
of Japan's version of the Statue of Liberty-about one-tenth the size of the real
deal, but striking all the same, considering its location. While we ate, amateur
artists sketched away at eager tourists and some wannabe singers crooned their
welcoming of the rain and the warm rich fragrance of the earth when the first
showers hit. It was a Kodak moment.
When we'd had our fill, we walked over to Palette town, which houses the Venus Fort
mall, built in Italian Reaissance style. It bore an uncanny resemblance to the Forum
Shops at Ceasar's Palace in Las Vegas , but oh well, I'd already mentioned Italian
Renaissance....lots of expensive stores, Italian trattorias, souvenier shops, and
hordes and hordes of tourists ogling at the majority of the local crowd-anorexically
thin girls hanging on as eye-candy to the arms of wannabe rock stars...I could only
wonder, what'd it be like, to give all that importance to appearance and partnership.....?? Something I've never been accused of, funnily enough....
Youth, money, some quietude and scenic views...about sums up Odaiba.
I finished my outing getting soaked in a sudden downpour.